CHECKLISTS

Posted on June 1, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Timothy and Titus – Inconspicuous Leadership

1 Timothy 5 checklistI am a list maker…even in retirement from my secular work. For me, what doesn’t get listed, doesn’t get done. It is also very rewarding for me to check that item off the list when it is accomplished. The list has a progression of priorities. One task cannot happen until another task is completed. And so life goes with my lists guiding my behavior and productivity.

As I journal each morning in my conversational prayer with God, the Father, His Spirit guides me to make another list that helps me to mature and grow in Him. I am convicted of some of those “fruits of the Spirit” that I have not tended to or cultivated, have ignored or left undone. His Holy Spirit redirects my thoughts and helps me form a list of tasks that will help me improve my behavior. “Keep a close check on yourself”, writes Paul to Timothy. For me, that means to make a spiritual checklist that keeps me in close contact with the will and purpose of our Father, God and helps me to grow closer to Him.

We can do nothing of significance without God. I am convinced that He guides us to all things that are good for our growth and aid our learning about Him and how He works. Paul also gives Timothy sound advice about how to treat those whom God has called to lead with character traits with another list of how to lead. This list still applies to us today. The theme of this episode seems to be; Know God, Know Yourself, Know The Message, Know Your Audience. Our deeds, good and bad, will be evident. Be driven by God’s love in us.

1 Timothy 5, The Message

17-18 Give a bonus to leaders who do a good job, especially the ones who work hard at preaching and teaching. Scripture tells us, “Don’t muzzle a working ox” and “A worker deserves his pay.”

19 Don’t listen to a complaint against a leader that isn’t backed up by two or three responsible witnesses.

20 If anyone falls into sin, call that person on the carpet. Those who are inclined that way will know right off they can’t get by with it.

21-23 God and Jesus and angels all back me up in these instructions. Carry them out without favoritism, without taking sides. Don’t appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily. If a person is involved in some serious sins, you don’t want to become an unwitting accomplice. In any event, keep a close check on yourself. And don’t worry too much about what the critics will say. Go ahead and drink a little wine, for instance; it’s good for your digestion, good medicine for what ails you.

24-25 The sins of some people are blatant and march them right into court. The sins of others don’t show up until much later. The same with good deeds. Some you see right off, but none are hidden forever.

1 Timothy 5 check yourselfLEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE #6: Keep a Close Check on Yourself

Leadership Characteristics –

–Fully rely on God. Trust Him with all you are and all you have. We are His. All we have is His.
–Ask God “if there is anything offensive to you, cleanse me.” as the Psalmist prayed.
–Repent with a heart and mind not wanting to return to the old life.
–Look full into the face of Jesus, our Master, Lord and Savior with laser focus so we know what direction to take next.
–“Keep a close check on yourself.” Avoid, “he did it, I can, too” or “my sin is not as bad as his sin” or “everybody’s doing it” mentality.
–Ask God for wisdom, insight and understanding.
–Allow God’s transformation to continue in our lives.
–Ask God to make your lists of to BE and to DO. HE will prioritize your lists in ways you cannot imagine! Where He guides, He provides help all along the journey.
–Do all in a Spirit of love for God and others.
–Care enough to confront others with God’s love and concern for their spiritual well-being and growth.

Warning   The things on our spiritual check list can never be crossed off because we’ll be working on them our whole lives. By listing we are reminding ourselves of what we need to work on to “keep a close check” on our lives. It is only by The Atonement of Jesus Christ can we accomplish anything of eternal significance.

Dear Heavenly Father,
You have convinced me that we must do spiritual “business” with You each day to improve our being in You. Thank you for helping us on this journey. Thank you for Your Holy Spirit that points out things in our behavior that could cause us to crash…before crashing. Thank you for always being with us, guiding and directing, loving and protecting and challenging us to grow and bear Fruit. Continue to transform me. Transform your church. Transform the world through your church.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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SHOUT TO THE LORD!

Posted on July 9, 2026 by randscallawayffm

My Jesus, my Savior
Lord there is none like you
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of your mighty love
My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You

Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work of your hands
Forever I’ll love you, forever I’ll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have
In YOU

(Words & Music by Darlene Zschech © 1993 Hillsong Music)

Most of us grew up in church singing this song first introduced in our youth groups and then to the church at large.  When sung with a pure heart and a mind ready to set aside all other agendas and just simple praise God for all He is and all He has done to save us grabs our hearts and minds and fills our souls with His Holy Spirit in ways that draw us closer to Him.  Why, because that’s what praise for God alone does—God draws near us when we come to Him with heartfelt, humbled, holy praises over performance!  God who sees our hearts is pleased when those hearts are committed to Him in thanksgiving.

Lately Trust in God has captured our hearts with more words of praise to our God, the One and Only we can trust completely.  (Written by Steven Furtick, Chris Brown, Brandon Lake, Mitch Wong ©2023 Music by Elevation Worship Publishing, Bethel Music Publishing/Maverick City Publishing Worldwide, Integrity’s Praise! Music // A Wong Made Write Publishing)

As we read, meditate, and thank God this morning for this psalm; we remember who God is and what He has done ever so patiently, “over and over again” to protect us, provide for our needs, care for us even more than the birds of the air—even when we are slow to come to Him with all that is in us. Everything that has been created gives glory to God. The psalm writer encouraged the people to bring an offering of worship to God—the best of which is surrendering our will to His best plan for us!  The words of the psalmist also give us the attitude of praise— “Let’s march into His presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns!”  I challenge all worship leaders to use this line when leading and encouraging the church to stop dragging their feet but get up, march right into the throne room of God and give His praise!  There is no one like our God!  God is the One and Only we should worship and praise!  Why—God is the Best!

Psalm 95, The Message

1-2 Come, let’s shout praises to God,
    raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
Let’s march into his presence singing praises,
    lifting the rafters with our hymns!

3-5 And why? Because God is the best,
    High King over all the gods.
In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,
    in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
He made Ocean—he owns it!
    His hands sculpted Earth!

6-7 So come, let us worship: bow before him,
    on your knees before God, who made us!
Oh yes, he’s our God,
    and we’re the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.

7-11 Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks:
    “Don’t turn a deaf ear as in the Bitter Uprising,
As on the day of the Wilderness Test,
    when your ancestors turned and put me to the test.
For forty years they watched me at work among them,
    as over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked—oh, was I provoked!
    ‘Can’t they keep their minds on God for five minutes?
    Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?’
Exasperated, I exploded,
    ‘They’ll never get where they’re headed,
    never be able to sit down and rest.’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The Psalmist is leading us to worship as all believers all over the world!  This is praise of God in community, not individual, although both are important. Our praise should be joyful and enthusiastic—he even commands us to sing and shout and to fully focuse on the Lord. The verb “come” in verse 2 means “to go to meet God face-to-face, to be in His presence.”

As believers in Jesus as Savior; we have new privileges that come with our transformed lives by His Holy Spirit!  Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, believers are granted open, confident access to God. Instead of approaching with fear, we can draw near to God to receive mercy and find the exact grace needed for any situation.  The writer of Hebrews explains;

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16, NIV

Let us not take this holy privilege for granted!  Come, meet God face-to-face, and dwell in His Holy Presence for as long as necessary to receive His wisdom, love, mercy, and grace as we surrender to His will—God’s Best for us!  Boldness and confidence come from the Lord at work within us; not from what we do.

Warren Wierbe, Bible scholar, writes;

“Praise means looking up, but worship means bowing down. Alas, some people who enjoy lifting their hands and shouting do not enjoy bowing their knees and submitting. True worship is much deeper than communal praise, for worship involves realizing the awesomeness of God and experiencing the fear of the Lord and a deeper love for Him.

Too often Christian “praise” is nothing but religious entertainment, and it never moves into spiritual enrichment in the presence of the Lord. Our singing must give way to silence as we bow before the Lord. He alone is Jehovah, the Lord, the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. He is our Maker and our Shepherd (see Psalm 23; John 10). Jubilation has its place only if it becomes adoration and we are prostrate before the Lord in total submission, “lost in wonder, love, and praise.”—Wiersbe Study Bible

“Worship God alone; there will be no other gods before Me”—God, Exodus 20:3

Lord,

I trust in you alone for all the days of my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving my soul, making me whole, while leading me through fires and victories time after time! Yes, I trust You for You are Life!

In Jesus Name, Amen

I trust in God My Savior The One who will never fail He will never fail

Perfect submission All is at rest

I know the Author of tomorrow Has ordered my steps

So this is my story And this is my song

Praising my risen King and Savior All the day long…

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THE BOOMERANG

Posted on July 8, 2026 by randscallawayffm

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”Proverbs 4:23

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”1 Samuel 16:7

2 Chronicles 16:9a validates this wisdom to guard our hearts in order to stay fully committed to our Creator of hearts! Committed hearts are those who seek God, eagerly ready to listen with a willingness to trust, and obey.  It is these pure hearts who God is looking for and desires to bless with all they need for the journey with Him!  “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

From His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reiterates this “heart truth” by preaching: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”. Matthew 5:8 

Jesus teaches that our hearts or more than a vital organ that pumps blood to keep us alive. Jesus teaches that our hearts are the core of human identity—the center from which our thoughts, desires, motives, and moral choices flow.  This is why pastors and teachers with wisdom who follow God’s Word warn us often to guard our hearts. Whatever we feed our hearts will come forth in our behaviors and will boomerang back upon us! Our hearts motivate and guide how we respond to God and to others whom He has created.  May Jesus be the center at the core; for it is Jesus who brought salvation to our hearts, minds, and souls.  God’s Holy Spirit was sent to guide our hearts to all Truth. Listen to Him.

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”—Jesus, John 16:13, NIV

Prayerfully consider—

  • What is the condition of our hearts? 
  • What responses and reactions will boomerang back to us?  Love or hate?  Kind affection or arrogance?  Wicked manipulations or hearts of service?

Know this: God knows our hearts.  We are not hiding anything from Him. This can be comforting or frightening.  If fear comes; surrender.

Surrender to God is the Way to purify our hearts.  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, says Paul to the church then and is applicable to us now. (Romans 3:23) God made a Way through the sacrifice of His Son to purify our hearts.  His name is Jesus.  Jesus’ blood purifies and God’s Holy Spirit of Truth immediately moves into our hearts to refine us. Oh, what a Savior!  Thank you, Father God for your Plan to save us and make us whole and wholly committed to You!

“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) This was the heart cry of all the ancients, Jesus’ apostles and disciples. Believe and accept that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins and rose again.  It is by His grace alone that we are saved and given eternal life! Then LIVE as redeemed people with fully committed hearts who long for the day to see Him face to face in all His glory!  There is nothing God will not forgive. No one is like our God!

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Come to Him now! Surrendered hearts are purified, refined and blessed by God!  May Jesus be Lord of our lives today.  Jesus already reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords forever, a title given to Him by God! (Philippians 2)

So, don’t be discouraged by the world around us who are not committed.  The psalm writer of our song of the day felt surrounded by people who did not seek after God. He rejoiced that God would protect and care for the righteous who sought to walk with God.

Psalm 94, The Message

1-2 God, put an end to evil;
    avenging God, show your colors!
Judge of the earth, take your stand;
    throw the book at the arrogant.

3-4 God, the wicked get away with murder—
    how long will you let this go on?
They brag and boast
    and crow about their crimes!

5-7 They walk all over your people, God,
    exploit and abuse your precious people.
They take out anyone who gets in their way;
    if they can’t use them, they kill them.
They think, “God isn’t looking,
    Jacob’s God is out to lunch.”

8-11 Well, think again, you idiots,
    fools—how long before you get smart?
Do you think Ear-Maker doesn’t hear,
    Eye-Shaper doesn’t see?
Do you think the trainer of nations doesn’t correct,
    the teacher of Adam doesn’t know?
God knows, all right—
    knows your stupidity,
    sees your shallowness.

12-15 How blessed the man you train, God,
    the woman you instruct in your Word,
Providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil,
    while a jail is being built for the wicked.
God will never walk away from his people,
    never desert his precious people.
Rest assured that justice is on its way
    and every good heart put right.

16-19 Who stood up for me against the wicked?
    Who took my side against evil workers?
If God hadn’t been there for me,
    I never would have made it.
The minute I said, “I’m slipping, I’m falling,”
    your love, God, took hold and held me fast.
When I was upset and beside myself,
    you calmed me down and cheered me up.

20-23 Can Misrule have anything in common with you?
    Can Troublemaker pretend to be on your side?
They ganged up on good people,
    plotted behind the backs of the innocent.
But God became my hideout,
    God was my high mountain retreat,
Then boomeranged their evil back on them:
    for their evil ways he wiped them out,
    our God cleaned them out for good.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

It is easy to grow weary and discouraged when we are surrounded by those who do not seek God. But God promises to be a shelter to those who are his children.  Our identity is in Jesus, whom God provided as our Rescue and Savior.  It is Jesus who gave us a new relationship with God that surpasses all understanding—an intimate, growing, loving, forever faithful relationship that lasts through all eternity!

Believe Truth as we read, contemplate, and pray—try not to put faces/names on our own enemies of arrogance, evil and pride as we read.  Pray for them instead.  Truth is, God knows and God is the One and Only Judge. We are not.

Lord,

Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, transform our thinking, refresh our souls with your new tender mercies, and restore the joy of your salvation at work with us to refine us and purify us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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OUR GOD ALONE REIGNS!

Posted on July 7, 2026 by randscallawayffm

It is time to pause to praise while we attempt to wrap our puny minds of thinking around thoughts of a God who knows our name, where we live, and knows the condition of our hearts just by looking deep inside.  This is God who knows what we are thinking right now, knows what we think about most and often, and knows our current situation that might be ruling our behavioral reactions to our trials. God also knows just how much we believe along with the doubts we have. 

God even knows the number of hairs on our heads—even after a shower that removes quite a few of them!  God just knows.  So, it seems fitting and right to just stop to consider all that God knows along with who His is to us.  God is our Father in heaven to “all the children of the world” who believe in Him.  He is our God who He loved His created so much that He sent His One and Only Son, Jesus to come down from his throne to earth below to tell us of His love then demonstrate in power the depths of His love by dying on a cross of shame for our sins. 

  • Can we pause to remember that three days later, a power so great that it could only come from God, raised Jesus up from death to life which defeated death forever? 
  • Can we fall on our knees with humbled praise and thank Him with all He has done to give us the hope of eternal life—with all that is in us with nothing held back? 
  • Can we truly, honestly love God back because HE first loved us, knowing and believing that He reigns victorious over all that is troubling us right now, all that seems to capture our thoughts and cause us to worry, all that we say “will be the death of me”—but it won’t really, will it?  Why?  Because our God reigns!  With God there is nothing beyond His wisdom, knowledge or power.  Even Satan and His evil demons fear Him!  With God nothing is impossible the ancients tell us, and it is God that put those words of truth in their mouths then did what He said He would! 

So, let’s just stop all the thoughts swirling around in our heads as we begin another day to thank, praise, and honor God for who He was, is, and always will be—namely, God!

Psalm 93, The Message

1-2 God is King, robed and ruling,
God is robed and surging with strength.

    And yes, the world is firm, immovable,
    Your throne ever firm—you’re Eternal!

3-4 Sea storms are up, God,
Sea storms wild and roaring,
Sea storms with thunderous breakers.

    Stronger than wild sea storms,
    Mightier than sea-storm breakers,
    Mighty God rules from High Heaven.

5 What you say goes—it always has.
“Beauty” and “Holy” mark your palace rule,
God, to the very end of time.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND TO GOD?

I’m reminded of another favorite song sung powerfully by Philips, Craig, and Dean—“You are God Alone”.  Here is a link to enjoy in our praise to our God who loves all the children of the world and died to save them all! 

Lord God,

You are indeed God alone and I praise you!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOD IS GOD—WE ARE NOT

Posted on July 6, 2026 by randscallawayffm

Those who believe and ask God for His will to be done are being cleansed, renewed, and restored daily and made holy by our Perfectly Holy God.  God loves us enough to die for us, standing in our place of punishment for our sins.  We could not do that for ourselves for we are not perfectly holy. Yes, God is God and we are not.  God also cares enough to confront us when we are doing things that hurt us and others in the faith.  Listen to Him.  He is God!

We were made in the image of God but we are not God. God is the one who helps us by His power living in us to shape and mold us all the days of our lives to be more like Him in His character for the purpose of bearing the holy fruits of His laborious work in us.  We can say we believe in God but until we demonstrate His character traits, we wonder if we believe at all. 

The Apostle Paul speaks to the church about how our relationship to God through Jesus Christ is lived out in our behaviors as we walk with God.  Our belief is reflected in our behaviors and it is our behaviors that the watching world without God notices first in us.  Our actions do speak louder than our words! No joke!  That is why we must BE with God to solidify our faith in God while we listen to what God says to be true and right.  We must guard our hearts from all things not of God; so that our actions follow what we say we believe about God. 

Here’s Paul wisdom to the church then, and is applicable to us today;

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Galatians 5:13-26

With these thoughts in mind; let us praise God with the Psalmist!

Psalm 92, The Message

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.

1-3 What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks,
    to sing an anthem to you, the High God!
To announce your love each daybreak,
    sing your faithful presence all through the night,
Accompanied by dulcimer and harp,
    the full-bodied music of strings.

4-9 You made me so happy, God.
    I saw your work and I shouted for joy.
How magnificent your work, God!
    How profound your thoughts!
Dullards never notice what you do;
    fools never do get it.
When the wicked popped up like weeds
    and all the evil men and women took over,
You mowed them down,
    finished them off once and for all.
You, God, are High and Eternal.
    Look at your enemies, God!
Look at your enemies—ruined!
    Scattered to the winds, all those hirelings of evil!

10-14But you’ve made me strong as a charging bison,
    you’ve honored me with a festive parade.
The sight of my critics going down is still fresh,
    the rout of my malicious detractors.
My ears are filled with the sounds of promise:
    “Good people will prosper like palm trees,
Grow tall like Lebanon cedars;
    transplanted to God’s courtyard,
They’ll grow tall in the presence of God,
    lithe and green, virile still in old age.”

15 Such witnesses to upright God!
    My Mountain, my huge, holy Mountain!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Give Thanks…I’m reminded of yet another song, “My Tribute” by Andre Couch.

Thanks for all God has done, is doing and will do is the best response!  Thank, praise, and honor God with all that is within us is what our Almighty God responds to most in our relationship with Him.  It is God who loved us so much He sent His One and Only Son, His best, so that we could live redeemed and free!  Thank Him with every breath!

“How can I say thanks
For the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved
Yet You gave to prove Your love for me;
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude
All that I am and ever hope to be
I owe it all to Thee”

With His blood He has saved me
With His power He has raised me;
To God be the glory
For the things He has done

[Bridge]
Just let me live my life
Let it pleasing, Lord to Thee
And if I gain any praise
Let it go to Calvary

[Chorus 2]
With His blood He has saved me
With His power He has raised me;
To God be the glory
For the things He has done

(Andre Crouch)

Lord,

Thank you for saving our souls and making us whole by Your Perfect Love. Thank for cleansing our hearts, renewing our minds, refreshing our souls and restoring the joy and peace of your continual salvation work within us each day. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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LOVED, SHELTERED, PROTECTED

Posted on July 3, 2026 by randscallawayffm

My dad was my great protector and defender.  Even when I was in the wrong; dad stood by me and helped me to recover from my mistakes while teaching me to trust in God at all times through every storm in life.  He quoted this first verse of psalm 91 often so my memory of him is prevalent this morning. I’m sure many of you readers have heard or quoted this verse yourselves as we seek God first each morning—the One who loves us beyond all loves and holds us close to His heart. 

Psalm 91, NIV

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

I am repeating this wonderful passage, using The Message version of Psalm 91, paraphrased in our language, by Eugene Peterson.  If you read prayerfully with focus on who God is to us, we can begin to creatively form an image of God who is Love. If we linger long enough, His Holy Spirit helps us to feel God’s loving arms wrapped around us in ways that protect us from the outside world. Will troubles cease in our world, not but God never ceases to amaze us with His protection through it all! God’s created animals demonstrate this simple but profound kind of protection for their offspring as they are raise their babies to be just like them.

1-13 You who sit down in the High God’s presence,
    spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.
    I trust in you and I’m safe!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
    shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
    under them you’re perfectly safe;
    his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
    not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
    not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
    drop like flies right and left,
    no harm will even graze you.
You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
    watch the wicked turn into corpses.

Yes, because God’s your refuge,
    the High God your very own home,
Evil can’t get close to you,
    harm can’t get through the door.
He ordered his angels
    to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they’ll catch you;
    their job is to keep you from falling.
You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
    and kick young lions and serpents from the path.

14-16 “If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God,
    “I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
    if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
    I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
    give you a long drink of salvation!”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Never fear for God is with us always to protect and provide for us BECAUSE of His great love for us.  We respond with trust, faith, and obedience that restores our peace and joy in all circumstances. 

My “pre-devotion” from Jesus Calling fits perfectly with this psalm concerning the judgement of others and ourselves when the devil tries to stop us from “seeing” God for who He really is.  Sarah Young writes as if Jesus were talking with us;

“My children make a pastime of judging one another—and themselves.  But I am the only capable Judge, and I have acquitted you through My Own blood.  Your acquittal came at the price of My unparalleled sacrifice.  That is why I am highly offended when I hear My children judge one another or indulge in self-hatred.  If you live close to Me and absorb My Word, the Holy Spirit will guide and correct you as needed.  There is NO CONDEMNATION for those who belong to Me.” –Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

(See also Luke 6:37; 2 Timothy 4:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 8:1)

Believe, repent, accept the cleansing, correction and guidance from God’s Spirit who now lives in us, and with no fear of rejection—live a freely redeemed life! As we give all to Him who so loved and loves us—all fear is gone! No condemnation, just salvation—so rich and free!  (Yes, this is a youth chorus mashup but it is the truth!)

Lord,

Thank you for these thoughts of love and protection with conviction and correction that strengthen us for the day ahead.  Lead me, Lord. Transform me to be all you created me to be “in your image”, for my good, and Your Glory.  May others come to know you because I know you and am learning from you. Thank you for the joy and peace that cannot be shaken—all because you loved us, saved us, and love us still as walk with you. Thank you for your arms of love.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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PRAYERS OF THE ANCIENTS

Posted on July 2, 2026 by randscallawayffm

I remembered the closing statements of the prayers of my Grandpa Lacquement well. I didn’t understand it completely as a young child—but I listened and thought I knew what he said!  I loved Grandpa and Grandma. I loved going to the farm to be with them, but I was more interested in being outside.  I tagged behind Grandpa as he did his chores of feeding and caring for the animals.  “They get fed before we do”, he would say.  I still remember watching him call the cows to feed using his family’s native language of French.  Speaking of cows, Grandpa decided one day I was old enough to come out of the truck cab to help guide a bull he had borrowed into his stock truck so he could take it back to its owner!  That was frightening but Grandpa just smiled at my efforts to appear larger than I was to that bull that day!  Together, we got it done!

But it was his prayers, along with Grandma’s that I remember most.  We bowed to thank God at all our meals.  Each night before we went to bed we read the Bible, talked about it, then got down on our knees to pray. Their prayers were reverent, honest, and unforgettable.  However, as a child we seem to hear and process differently.  For a while, I heard this one phrase at the end of the noon meal that I didn’t quite understand but accepted because Grandpa prayed it!  What I heard was; “and may this food be used for your juice”.  I would look around the table—there was no juice.  One day I watched Grandma boil down fruit to make juices and jellies.  Ah, now I get it, that’s what he means when he prays about juice.  But no, after telling them both that I had figured out this phrase on my own, they laughed and said, “No child, I’m praying for God to use this food for His intended use so that His will is done in us as He provides for us.”  Oh, that would be different.

In the next collective book of the Psalms, a prayer of Moses is included to remind people of how God provided a great leader to lead the children of Israel out of bondage and slavery of Egypt—but not without troubles, conflict and hazards on the journey.  God was with them and would never leave them.  But still, even Moses, questioned God in the hard times but would always come back to God in faith knowing He had all the answers and would help him.

Psalm 90, The Message

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

1-2 God, it seems you’ve been our home forever;
    long before the mountains were born,
Long before you brought earth itself to birth,
    from “once upon a time” to “kingdom come”—you are God.

3-11 So don’t return us to mud, saying,
    “Back to where you came from!”
Patience! You’ve got all the time in the world—whether
    a thousand years or a day, it’s all the same to you.
Are we no more to you than a wispy dream,
    no more than a blade of grass
That springs up gloriously with the rising sun
    and is cut down without a second thought?
Your anger is far and away too much for us;
    we’re at the end of our rope.
You keep track of all our sins; every misdeed
    since we were children is entered in your books.
All we can remember is that frown on your face.
    Is that all we’re ever going to get?
We live for seventy years or so
    (with luck we might make it to eighty),
And what do we have to show for it? Trouble.
    Toil and trouble and a marker in the graveyard.
Who can make sense of such rage,
    such anger against the very ones who fear you?

12-17 Oh! Teach us to live well!
    Teach us to live wisely and well!
Come back, God—how long do we have to wait?—
    and treat your servants with kindness for a change.
Surprise us with love at daybreak;
    then we’ll skip and dance all the day long.
Make up for the bad times with some good times;
    we’ve seen enough evil to last a lifetime.
Let your servants see what you’re best at—
    the ways you rule and bless your children.
And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us,
    confirming the work that we do.
    Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

This is the oldest “song” in the Book of Psalms.  It was written by Moses, the man of God (Josh. 14:6; Ezra 3:2). It covers mankind from the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, to the return of our Savior. The psalm speaks of an eternal God and frail humans, a holy God and sinful man, life and death, and the meaning of life in a confused and difficult world.  Moses understood God’s purpose for him even though he had to overcome his fear and replace it with faith as he led God’s people out of bondage to a freedom in the land God provided. In Moses’ prayer, saved and recorded in the Psalms, we are able to grasp the faithful love of God, if we listen closely to His Holy Spirit who lead us to all that is truth.

One of my favorite songs…”In Everything, Give Thanks”

In everything give Him thanks, give Him thanks
In everything give Him thanks
In the good times praise His name
In the bad times do the same
In everything give the King of Kings all the thanks!

(Written by Donna Alley, Sung by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir)

Living, growing, learning, in an imperfect, sinful world while gaining more of God in our pursuit of Him, through bad times as well as good times; we learn to give thanks to God whose love, care, mercy, and grace never changes for us.  As His love never changes; our thanks and praise to God should never change!

Moses remembered his pain over the sins of the people (See Exodus 32). In Moses’ psalm, we are reminded that we are only here for a brief time and that we should ask God to help us wisely make use (not juice) of each day for our good and His glory! (smiling)

Moses knew what it was like to be “strangers in the land” God have given to His people.  This world is not our home, we are merely journeying to our forever home with God some day!  So don’t get too comfy!  “Teach us to number our days,” Moses also prayed, “that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).  Nothing strikes fear in men and women when the end is near and we feel unprepared.

So, what would you like to do before you die? Ask God for wisdom; He loves, even delights, in helping us!

Lord,

Thank you, Holy Spirit for guiding our thoughts, reminding us to praise and thank God in all circumstances.  The ancients gave thanks and so should we who believe in faith that God is real and what He says is Truth.  Lead us, Lord.  Help us to use your provisions for your intended use in all we think, say, and do for your glory!  I thank You for the legacy of all who has gone before us to teach us to walk humbly with You!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOD’S LOVE REIGNS

Posted on July 2, 2026 by randscallawayffm

Your love, oh Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness stretches to the sky
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
Your justice flows like the ocean’s tide
I will lift my voice
To worship You, my King
I will find my strength
In the shadow of your wings…

(Songwriters: Bradley B. C. Avery / David Carr / Johnny Mac Powell / Mark D. Lee / Samuel Tai Anderson, Your Love Oh Lord lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.; Sung by Third Day.)

Psalm 89, The Message

A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1-4 Your love, God, is my song, and I’ll sing it!
    I’m forever telling everyone how faithful you are.
I’ll never quit telling the story of your love—
    how you built the cosmos
    and guaranteed everything in it.
Your love has always been our lives’ foundation,
    your fidelity has been the roof over our world.
You once said, “I joined forces with my chosen leader,
    I pledged my word to my servant, David, saying,
‘Everyone descending from you is guaranteed life;
    I’ll make your rule as solid and lasting as rock.’”

5-18 God! Let the cosmos praise your wonderful ways,
    the choir of holy angels sing anthems to your faithful ways!
Search high and low, scan skies and land,
    you’ll find nothing and no one quite like God.
The holy angels are in awe before him;
    he looms immense and august over everyone around him.
God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who is like you,
    powerful and faithful from every angle?
You put the arrogant ocean in its place
    and calm its waves when they turn unruly.
You gave that old hag Egypt the back of your hand,
    you brushed off your enemies with a flick of your wrist.
You own the cosmos—you made everything in it,
    everything from atom to archangel.
You positioned the North and South Poles;
    the mountains Tabor and Hermon sing duets to you.
With your well-muscled arm and your grip of steel—
    nobody messes with you!
The Right and Justice are the roots of your rule;
    Love and Truth are its fruits.
Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise,
    who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.
Delighted, they dance all day long; they know
    who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet!
Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—
    you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air!
All we are and have we owe to God,
    Holy God of Israel, our King!

19-37 A long time ago you spoke in a vision,
    you spoke to your faithful beloved:
“I’ve crowned a hero,
    I chose the best I could find;
I found David, my servant,
    poured holy oil on his head,
And I’ll keep my hand steadily on him,
    yes, I’ll stick with him through thick and thin.
No enemy will get the best of him,
    no scoundrel will do him in.
I’ll weed out all who oppose him,
    I’ll clean out all who hate him.
I’m with him for good and I’ll love him forever;
    I’ve set him on high—he’s riding high!
I’ve put Ocean in his one hand, River in the other;
    he’ll call out, ‘Oh, my Father—my God, my Rock of Salvation!’
Yes, I’m setting him apart as the First of the royal line,
    High King over all of earth’s kings.
I’ll preserve him eternally in my love,
    I’ll faithfully do all I so solemnly promised.
I’ll guarantee his family tree
    and underwrite his rule.
If his children refuse to do what I tell them,
    if they refuse to walk in the way I show them,
If they spit on the directions I give them
    and tear up the rules I post for them—
I’ll rub their faces in the dirt of their rebellion
    and make them face the music.
But I’ll never throw them out,
    never abandon or disown them.
Do you think I’d withdraw my holy promise?
    or take back words I’d already spoken?
I’ve given my word, my whole and holy word;
    do you think I would lie to David?
His family tree is here for good,
    his sovereignty as sure as the sun,
Dependable as the phases of the moon,
    inescapable as weather.”

38-52 But God, you did walk off and leave us,
    you lost your temper with the one you anointed.
You tore up the promise you made to your servant,
    you stomped his crown in the mud.
You blasted his home to kingdom come,
    reduced his city to a pile of rubble
Picked clean by wayfaring strangers,
    a joke to all the neighbors.
You declared a holiday for all his enemies,
    and they’re celebrating for all they’re worth.
Angry, you opposed him in battle,
    refused to fight on his side;
You robbed him of his splendor, humiliated this warrior,
    ground his kingly honor in the dirt.
You took the best years of his life
    and left him an impotent, ruined husk.
How long do we put up with this, God?
    Are you gone for good? Will you hold this grudge forever?
Remember my sorrow and how short life is.
    Did you create men and women for nothing but this?
We’ll see death soon enough. Everyone does.
    And there’s no back door out of hell.
So where is the love you’re so famous for, Lord?
    What happened to your promise to David?
Take a good look at your servant, dear Lord;
    I’m the butt of the jokes of all nations,
The taunting jokes of your enemies, God,
    as they dog the steps of your dear anointed.

        Blessed be God forever and always!
            Yes. Oh, yes.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

This psalm is clearly not only thanking God for David but are words to celebrate David’s glorious reign. David’s reign was successful only because God sustained him, forgave him, and guided his path with wisdom, conviction, correction, and compassion.  One of David’s descendants (Jesus Christ) would reign over God’s people forever.  God promised and delivered—Our Deliverer, Jesus Christ our Savior and our Lord.

This is the Truth that we know and learn from God’s Word who became flesh and walk among us;

  • God’s love never changes for us. 
  • God never changes in what He expects from us—to love Him back in surrender to His best. 
  • God does not lie. God will keep all His promises. 
  • God prepares His people for what lies ahead with enough information to sustain us in the journey with Him and to Him.
  • God is Present always. God is Present among those who are fully committed to Him, who delight in all His ways, with hearts’ desires to do what He says. 
  • Our power, strength, and help come from our faithful God who never gives up on us.
  • God sent His Son, Jesus to earth to be born of a virgin and nurtured by a devote earthly father.
  • Jesus’ mission was to love, forgive, heal, and save humanity from our sins. Jesus paid the debt and set all who believe free from the bondage of our sins.
  • Jesus was the Messiah, “one who saves”, and is now the KING of kings and LORD of lords who reigns—just as God said and delivered from the line of David, His anointed earthy king.
  • Jesus is coming again, soon, to take us to our heavenly home, the home He has prepared for us from the beginning. 

PLOT TWIST WITHIN THE SONG OF PRAISE:

As the praise for God keep coming; we are praising, too!  Then all of a sudden Ethan, the writer of Psalm 88, looked back and asked what had happened to the great unfailing love the Lord had shown to David. Ethan is obviously struggling with dealing with the consequences currently caused by the rebellion of God’s people.  But the psalmist knows that God’s love had not changed; it was Judah’s love for the Lord that had waned. Like any good parent, God shows His love to Hs children either by blessing their obedience or chastening them for their disobedience, but in either situation, God is manifesting His love.

Warren Wiersbe writes;

“This Psalm expresses a great truth: No matter how much we suffer because of the sins of others, and no matter how perplexed we may be at the providential workings of the Lord, we should still be able to say by faith, “Blessed be the LORD forevermore!” And our fellow sufferers ought to respond with, “Amen and Amen!” That’s the way of trust—faith in the faithfulness of the Lord.”—Wiersbe Study Bible

“Trust and Obey for there’s no other way…”

Lord,

Thank you for your relentless love and forever faithfulness to us—even when we are less than faithful to you.  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls with your mercies, and restore the joy of your salvation continually at work within us. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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PSALM SUNG BLUE

Posted on June 30, 2026 by randscallawayffm

Song sung blue
Everybody knows one
Song sung blue
Every garden grows one

Me and you are subject to the blues now and then
But when you take the blues and make a song
You sing them out again
Sing ’em out again

Song sung blue
Weeping like a willow
Song sung blue
Sleeping on my pillow

Funny thing, but you can sing it with a cry in your voice
And before you know it, get to feeling good
You simply got no choice

Me and you are subject to the blues now and then
But when you take the blues and make a song
You sing them out again

(Source: LyricFind, Songwriters: Neil Diamond, Song Sung Blue lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group)

“Song Sung Blue” was a 1972 Billboard number-one hit song written and recorded by Neil Diamond.  It is now also the title of a movie about two musicians who fall in love while trying to eek out a living being a cover band of Neil Diamond songs. Based on a true story about their struggles in the music industry, they are shown to experience good, even great times, followed by very challenging times demonstrating the human condition of all who seek to find their place in this world.

The real meaning of the song written by Neil Diamond is about the universal human experience of sadness, and the therapeutic power of music to overcome it. The lyrics acknowledge that everyone feels “the blues” from time to time, but turning that sadness into a song can help exorcise those feelings, lift your mood, and bring you joy. 

Could it be that the writers of the psalms are prompted by God to be raw and honest about their times of feeling “the blues” and then inspired by God to know Him more, turn to Him by writing about Him—all so that we will know what to do when we feel sadness?  Expressing sadness, defeat, followed by joy and the power of what God provides in all circumstances was the mantra of David who sang in the fields as he shepherded sheep and then anointed as King over Israel! King David taught Asaph and others how to write other Psalms about God so His “beat goes on”! 

Yes, there is something about writing our feelings in prayer and prose that changes our attitudes even as we jot down our thoughts.  I’m sure God’s Holy Spirit, who leads us to all truth, has a lot to do with turning our current condition and attitudes from ashes into beauty! Writing to God as I listen for God certainly helps me and my attitude each day!  Without “a little talk with Jesus” to begin my day I would remain a mess without a message. But with Him, joy floods my soul like Heavenly Sunlight!  (Yes, another song of joy!)

The following song/psalm is sung blue for sure but remember there is more to come.  Sadness is not the end.  It is never the end—not with God in control.

Psalm 88, The Message

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. (Musical style expressing lament)

1-9 God, you’re my last chance of the day.
    I spend the night on my knees before you.Put me on your salvation agenda;
    take notes on the trouble I’m in.
I’ve had my fill of trouble;
    I’m camped on the edge of hell.
I’m written off as a lost cause,
    one more statistic, a hopeless case.

Abandoned as already dead,
    one more body in a stack of corpses,
And not so much as a gravestone—
    I’m a black hole in oblivion.
You’ve dropped me into a bottomless pit,
    sunk me in a pitch-black abyss.
I’m battered senseless by your rage,
    relentlessly pounded by your waves of anger.
You turned my friends against me,
    made me horrible to them.
I’m caught in a maze and can’t find my way out,
    blinded by tears of pain and frustration.

9-12 I call to you, God; all day I call.
    I wring my hands, I plead for help.
Are the dead a live audience for your miracles?
    Do ghosts ever join the choirs that praise you?
Does your love make any difference in a graveyard?
    Is your faithful presence noticed in the corridors of hell?
Are your marvelous wonders ever seen in the dark,
    your righteous ways noticed in the Land of No Memory?

13-18 I’m standing my ground, God, shouting for help,
    at my prayers every morning, on my knees each daybreak.
Why, God, do you turn a deaf ear?
    Why do you make yourself scarce?
For as long as I remember I’ve been hurting;
    I’ve taken the worst you can hand out, and I’ve had it.
Your wildfire anger has blazed through my life;
    I’m bleeding, black-and-blue.
You’ve attacked me fiercely from every side,
    raining down blows till I’m nearly dead.
You made lover and neighbor alike dump me;
    the only friend I have left is Darkness.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Pray, seek God, listen to Him and His songs that cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, and shift our attitudes.  My song when in darkness is “It Is Well”.  Weird right?  How can a person in darkness say, “it is well with my soul”?  ICYMI, the composer of It Is Well was at his darkest time in complete sadness over suffering great lost.  Here is the story;

“This hymn was written after traumatic events in Spafford’s life. The first was the death of his son followed shortly by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which ruined him financially (Spafford had been a successful lawyer and had invested significantly in property in the area of Chicago that was extensively damaged by the great fire). His business interests were further hit by the economic downturn of 1873, at which time Spafford had planned to travel to England with his family on the SS Ville du Havre, to help with Dwight L. Moody’s upcoming evangelistic campaigns. In a late change of plan, Spafford sent his wife, Anna, and their four daughters, Annie, Maggie, Bessie, and Tanetta, ahead while Spafford was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sea vessel, the Loch Earn, killing 226 people, including Annie, Maggie, Bessie, and Tanetta. Anna survived and sent Spafford the now famous telegram, “Saved alone …”. Shortly afterwards, as he traveled to England to meet his grieving wife, Spafford was inspired to write these words as his ship passed the spot near where his four daughters had died. Bliss called his tune Ville du Havre, from the name of the stricken vessel.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul

It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And hath shed His own blood for my soul

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Is_Well_with_My_Soul

What an incredible attitude shift from utter darkness to knowing God held this grieving father and his surviving wife in the palm of His Hand.

We learn that sadness is a normal human response. “Jesus wept.”  But sadness that comes like a tidal wave was not meant to swallow us.  Run to God, speak with Him, tell him all about what is going on and then realize He is already working on our rescue and deliverance. Belief in this truth shifts our attitudes! Turning to God for His comfort, peace, love, mercy, and grace is the only way to being well with our hearts, minds and souls!

We cannot be well until we allow God to rescue us from darkness, renews how we think, while He carries us into His Light of Truth.  There is truly blessed assurance and “joy in the morning” as we trust God to be the One and Only who carries us when we have trouble walking with wobbly weak knees.  Surrender to His best work in us!

Okay, so there are about a million songs, hymns, and praise songs flooding my mind right now as I write this so we will close with praise;

  • Praise God from Whom ALL blessings Flow! 
  • To Him be the glory, honor, and praise!
  • Thank God for bringing out of darkness and into His Light! 
  • It IS well with my soul!
  • Thank Jesus who provides wellness and wholeness because of His own dark suffering to redeem our souls!

Lord,

Thank you for the dark times that teach us to run to you and fall our knees before you in surrender to your love, mercy, and grace.  YOU change everything as you change and transform us from the outside in and inside out!  To you be the glory!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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ZION—GOD’S HOME

Posted on June 29, 2026 by randscallawayffm

Believers of all ages call specific places their “church home”.  We might move across the country; but the place where we first accepted Jesus as Savior and learned to surrender to Him as Lord of our lives is “home” to us. I vividly remember my mom leading me to the altar as an elementary student to accept Jesus as my Savior for the first time.  I only had to look at her and she knew to guide me in that moment.  I am forever grateful for my mom who knew Jesus and was led by God’s Holy Spirit.

But, I wonder, as I listen to the stories of others, why the sentiment is so deeply embedded within us of our first church home?  Is the place, the people, or merely because it was there that we met God for the first time? Some people revere a place in the country called church camp as their “home” of endearment because as a child they were led to the Lord in that place.  “There’s no other place like church camp”, I’ve heard people say as if it were the only place to meet God.  But is it the place, the people, the lack of interruptions of our normal noisy lives; or is it truly about God who met us there with His gift of salvation that made the significant difference in our lives?

The difference made is upon leaving our “places” is reflected by what we internalized. When we left the place; did God go with us? Could others see the glory of God on our faces when we returned?  Did meeting with God change how we walked daily with Him?  Did our language change? Or did we return to conform to the world around us so no one knew what happened in us? Just wondering…

This is another psalm that extols the glory of Mount Zion—God’s home to the people of Israel. The songwriter was not seeking to make a political statement with arrogant nationalism in this passage; He was seeking to glorify the God of Israel and the blessings He bestows upon His people. Warren Wiersbe comments that this psalm “must be read on two levels. It is a prophecy of the future kingdom, when all nations will come to Jerusalem to worship (Psalm 86:9; Isaiah 2:1–5), and it is also a picture of the heavenly Zion, where the children of God have their spiritual citizenship” as written in Hebrews 12:18–24.” –Wiersbe Study Bible

In other words, to us Zion is known as heaven.  The writer of Hebrews 12:18-24 states:

“You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.’The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”

The writer drives the point home about how we receive and revere God in His Home;

“See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”—Hebrews 12:25-29, NIV

Psalm 87, The Message

Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song.

1-3 He founded Zion on the Holy Mountain—
    and oh, how God loves his home!
Loves it far better than all
    the homes of Jacob put together!
God’s hometown—oh!
    everyone there is talking about you!

4 I name them off, those among whom I’m famous:
    Egypt and Babylon,
    also Philistia,
    even Tyre, along with Cush.
Word’s getting around; they point them out:
    “This one was born again here!”

5 The word’s getting out on Zion:
    “Men and women, right and left,
    get born again in her!”

6 God registers their names in his book:
    “This one, this one, and this one—
    born again, right here.”

7 Singers and dancers give credit to Zion:
    “All my springs are in you!”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

I have more questions; How grateful are we for our “church homes” that you are probably remembering as you read this? What was it about that place and time that causes us to remember with fondness and puts smiles on our faces?  On the other hand, what drove us to seek another church home when God seemed distant in the place we left? Was it us? Did God lead the leaving? That’s between the Lord and the one relocating.

But know this; at God’s leading, it is okay with God to seek a place where He is at work among His people, a place where He is active and alive among and within His people, where He alone is worshipped as the One and Only God, where Jesus is called Savior and the church gathered are taught to follow and imitate Him as Lord, where God’s Word is taught through men and women led by His Holy Spirit as the inspired absolute Truth. Seek a church home where God obviously dwells among His People and His Holy Spirit is welcomed as their Guide to Life.  Leave places led by arrogant men and women seeking places with praise and positions that honor them. 

Find Zion—A church home is where God resides and Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church Body. Love God. Love each other.  Obey these two commands first and our world could be revolutionized by our God who lives in us—our personal Zion! 

Keep Zion free from the world’s influence.  Our personal Zion needs a daily dose of surrender to the One who resides with us.  (Romans 12:1-2) Do this and the power of God within us helps us!  The prophet Isaiah speaks of God’s help;

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,            But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:38-41 NKJV

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV

Living resurrected, powerful lives does not come from a physical place but from our God of power, majesty, and strength living and working in us—”This is the secret:, Paul writes to God’s church!  “Jesus Christ in us” (1 Corinthians 1:27) 

Praise Him in all His Glory! Come to God with thanksgiving!

Lord,

I surrender all.  All to thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all of me for all of you. Lead me, Lord. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

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CONFIDENCE IN FAITHFUL GOD WHO NEVER FAILS

Posted on June 27, 2026 by randscallawayffm

God of Abraham, You’re the God of covenant
And faithful promises, yeah
Time and time again
You have proven
You’ll do just what You said

Though the storms may come, and the winds may blow, I’ll remain steadfast
And let my heart learn when You speak a word, it will come to pass

(Songwriters: Aaron Moses / Dante Bowe / Joe L. Barnes / Keila Marin / Lemuel Marin / Phillip Carrington Gaines; Promises lyrics © Bethel Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Capitol CMG Publishing, Essential Music Publishing, Royalty Network)

This song, “Promises” sung by Maverick, is playing in the background of my heart, mind, and soul as we meditate on Psalm 86, written by King David

But I wonder, when we pray, do we fully expect an answer from our Faithful God?

David was not perfect.  He didn’t always do the right thing personally and it affected the lives of his entire household, but one thing is certain; God did not throw him out with the “Bathsheba” water either. God forgave David.  God did not give up on David. God also taught David great lessons from his messes so others would know the God of all. We also learn, that through it all, what David feared most was the loss of God’s Presence with him.

We recall Psalm 51 and the repentant words pierce our hearts. We know “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and that all need to come back to God, repent, and listen to Him! David’s words in Psalm 51:10-12 were prompted upon repentance the prophet Nathan confronted him regarding his sin with Bathsheba. It is a heartfelt cry for forgiveness, mercy, and restoration.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:10-12, NIV

Great is Your faithfulness to me
Great is Your faithfulness to me
From the rising sun to the setting same, I will praise your name
Great is Your faithfulness to me….

But let’s dive a bit deeper—

David had sinned greatly against his family, his kingdom work and most of all against God. David lived in misery. God never left Him; but didn’t help David continue in sin either. What God did provide was the prophet Nathan, David’s friend and trusted advisor to help him see what David was not realizing the greatness of his sins committed against both families hurt by his adultery and the evil scheme of trying to cover it up. (Read 2 Samuel 12) 

When David realized the full magnitude of his sins; David’s humbled, first response to Nathan: “I have sinned against the Lord.” 

I don’t know about you but at the first reading of his confession; I wanted more from David than just those few words, right? David, you have sinned against a woman who was married who complied because you were King! You even had her husband put to death to make your adultery be okay with everyone involved!  What gives? 

But consider this thought.  After years of studying David’s life with God; I have discovered that in His prayerful and powerful confession of these particular words were first for God alone. David had to get to the core of his sin so that he could be fully restored in soul, spirit, and mind. David had sought the heart of God most of his life.  He was known for “running after the heart of God”. But now, he fell for self, satisfying his own heart, and has all but forgotten his “first love”—God. David’s heart is divided and division leads to acts of rebellion first against God and then to His people. 

In another translation of Psalm 51:4, David says, “Against you, you only, have I sinned.” Why would David say these words when he obviously sinned against others?

Rosalie de Rosset, Professor at Moody Bible Institute writes;

“Sin holds a posture of defiance toward God’s commands; it is an assault on God’s authority. One Bible scholar notes that sin is primarily about “assaulting the glory of God, rebelling against God…a vertical phenomenon.”

Too often we confess our sins toward others without fully understanding our offense against God. Although David failed miserably, he was known as a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). He always returned to his earnest love for God. He always repented and understood his failure before God and reset his life toward Him. David knew that he couldn’t live long with the separation from God, caused by sin.

So, when David said, “Against you, you only, have I sinned,” he was acknowledging his rebellion against God. He was asking forgiveness for his dismissal of God’s commands. As commentators have noted, when Nathan came to David he said pointedly, “Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes?” (2 Sam. 12:9).  David knew that the worst thing he had done was to despise God. He was not minimizing his crimes against others. Rather, he was emphasizing the direct assault on God that he had caused with those acts.”  

King David repents to God first for it is it his sins that are separating him from God and His Presence!  Ah, now we get it.  Once his sins are confessed, asking for repentance, and his will surrendered to God and His will; David comes boldly and confidently to His God who listens and is present with him.  We have the same God who does not give up on us nor does He ever leave us when we call on His Holy Name.  

Psalm 86, The Message

A prayer of David.

1-7 Bend an ear, God; answer me.
    I’m one miserable wretch!
Keep me safe—haven’t I lived a good life?
    Help your servant—I’m depending on you!
You’re my God; have mercy on me.
    I count on you from morning to night.
Give your servant a happy life;
    I put myself in your hands!
You’re well-known as good and forgiving,
    bighearted to all who ask for help.
Pay attention, God, to my prayer;
    bend down and listen to my cry for help.
Every time I’m in trouble I call on you,
    confident that you’ll answer.

8-10 There’s no one quite like you among the gods, O Lord,
    and nothing to compare with your works.
All the nations you made are on their way,
    ready to give honor to you, O Lord,
Ready to put your beauty on display,
    parading your greatness,
And the great things you do—
    God, you’re the one, there’s no one but you!

11-17 Train me, God, to walk straight;
    then I’ll follow your true path.
Put me together, one heart and mind;
    then, undivided, I’ll worship in joyful fear.
From the bottom of my heart I thank you, dear Lord;
    I’ve never kept secret what you’re up to.
You’ve always been great toward me—what love!
    You snatched me from the brink of disaster!
God, these bullies have reared their heads!
    A gang of thugs is after me—
    and they don’t care a thing about you.

But you, O God, are both tender and kind,
    not easily angered, immense in love,
    and you never, never quit.
So look me in the eye and show kindness,
    give your servant the strength to go on,
    save your dear, dear child!
Make a show of how much you love me
    so the bullies who hate me will stand there slack-jawed,
As you, God, gently and powerfully
    put me back on my feet.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“…you, God, gently and powerfully put me back on my feet”.

And please, dear friends, do not fall for the current “believe in yourself” mantra that we should all strive to a better me in this world; but wholly believe, repent, and surrender to God through Jesus with a holy commitment to be more Him who saved us and set us free!

We were created in the image of God.  Through belief in Jesus, surrender with repentance of sins in His Name; God steps in to create, from the inside out, new, pure hearts, removing all that is not of God. Because of Jesus sacrifice, we are forgiven, completely.  Our sins repented are no longer held against us.  The ledger is wiped clean.  Hearts cleansed. Then the real work to transform us begins.

Upon surrender, God’s Holy Spirit immediately comes to reside within our souls to lead us to all that is Truth (Jesus) with purpose, renewing and restoring His Presence with us.  God restores the joy (and peace) of His salvation at work within us to refresh us daily.  Our commitment to believe wholeheartedly with a humble heart, seeking the mind of Christ, while filling our hungry souls with his Daily Manna of His Word leads to transformation of our behaviors.  It is God’s power that transforms us with our willingness to allow Him to do it! Only God.

What a privilege to watch God create us again to be His image bearer, to become His masterpiece, made in His image, becoming more and more like Him in every way as we yield to the work of His Hands!  Yes, and Amen—To God be the glory!

I put my faith in Jesus
my anchor to the ground
my hope and firm foundation
He’ll never let me down
He’ll never let me down
He’ll never let me down

Lord,

Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls, and restore the joy of your salvation at work within us—daily. I surrender all to Your loving, faithful hands.

In Jesus Name, Amen

From the rising sun to the setting same, I will praise your name
Great is Your faithfulness to me…

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